which is confiftent with the truth, fincerity and design of the call.

II. A fecond Answer to this Argument of ours is, That this objection fuppofeth it to be the fame thing to be without a gofpelrevelation, and to be without any means of grace at all; which fuppofition feems plainly contrary to the declaration of the holy fcripture, touching the heathen world. For,

As God plainly faith, even in refpect to their juftification, That he is the God not of the fews only, but also of the Gentiles, Rom. iii. 29. and that he is the fame Lord who is rich unto all that call upon him, Rom. x. 12. So has he also, by St. Peter, taught, that he is no refpecter of perfons; but that in every nation he that feareth God, and worketh righteousness, is accepted of him, Acts x. 34, 35. Whence it appears, that some of all nations, owning the true God, not only might, but actually did fear God and work righteousness; and that God accepts men only because they do fo: whence it follows, that thofe Heathens who have at any time attained to the knowledge of the true God, may, in that ftate, perform thofe righteous actions which thill be acceptable in his fight." To which I reply, That unless the law and light of

Whitby, p. 521, 522. Ed. 2. 499, 500.

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nature, by which men may have fome knowz ledge of a divine Being, tho' they know hot who he is, and of the difference between good and evil, and unfefs the motives from providential goodness, to serve and glorify God, can be thought to be means of grace, the Heathens must be without any, who are deftitute of the gofpel-revelation; and then to be without a gofpel-revelation, and without any means of grace at all, must be the fame thing feeing the gofpel-revelation, the word and ordinances, are the common and ordinary means of grace. It will not be denied, that God may make use of extraordinary means; fend an angel from heaven to acquaint men with the way of falvation, by Jefus Chrift, or by fome other fecret method, unknown to us; yet from the poffibility of things to the certainty of them, we cannot argue: and though we would be far from judging of and determining the final ftate of fuch who are destitute of revelation; yet, according to the fcripture-account of them, we cannot but conclude, that as fuch, and while fuch, they are without the means of grace, being without Chrift, aliens from the commonwealth of Ifrael, and ftrangers from the covenants of promife, having no hope, and without God in the world. Nor do the fcriptures alledged prove, that they have the means of grace,

Vid. Curcellacus, p. 389. Limborch, p. 363.

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as will appear from a particular deration of them. Not, Rom. iii, 29. God was, indeed, equally the God of the Gentiles as of the Jews, as the God of nature and providence, being the common creator and preferver of them, and provider for them; but not as the God of grace, or in point of fpecial grace and peculiar privileges, or before the gospel-difpenfation took place. Now, indeed, the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile is broken down, the gospel has been fent and preached to one as to another; and fome of both have been brought to believe in Chrift; and fo God is the God of one as of the other, and stands no more diftinguished by the God of Ifrael. And to this the apostle has respect in the place before us; when he puts the queftion, is he the God of the Jews only? is be not alfo of the Gentiles? Which he anfwers, in the affirmative, yes, of the Gentiles alfo. The argument proving this, follows; feeing it is one God which fhall justify the circumcifion by faith, and the uncircumcifion through faith. Whence it is manifeft, that the Apostle is not fpeaking of the juftification of heathens, by their obedience to the law and light of nature, nor of them as heathens, or of God being their God, confidered as fuch; but of their juftification by faith in Chrift, and fo of them as believers, and of God being their God as fuch, equally with the believing Jews. Could it

be proved, that God juftifies the heathens by their obedience to the law and light of nature, as he juftifies others by faith in the blood and righteoufnefs of Chrift, it would be much to the purpose, but fince this text gives no fuch intimation, but the contrary, it must be impertinent to the present argument. Nor, Rom. x. 12 There is, indeed, no difference between the few and Greek under the gofpel-difpenfation, for the fame Lord over all, who has made them, and has a fovereign dominion over them, is rich in the diftributions of his grace unto all that call upon him, be they Jews or Gentiles. And; for their encouragement, it is obferved, v. 13. That whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be faved. But then it is added, v. 14. How then fhall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how fhall they believe in him of whom they bave not heard? and how shall they bear with out a preacher? Which manifeftly fhews, that tho' the Lord plenteously diftributes the riches of his grace to all that call upon him, without diftinction of nations; yet to them only that call upon him aright, that is, in faith of which faith, the preaching and hearing the word are the ordinary means; Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, v. 17. Now the Gentiles being without thefe means, and fo deftitute of faith, cannot rightly call upon God, there

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being no true invocation of him withour faith in him; it follows, that they are not only without the means of grace, whilft this is their cafe, but even without any hope or likelyhood of enjoying the bleffings of grace fince thefe, in the text, are limited to them; that call upon the Lord, and that call upon., him in faith. Nor, Acts x. 34, 35. The character given of Cornelius is, indeed, very, great, and, no doubt, very juft; when he is faid to be a devout man, and one that feared God with all bis boufe, which gave much alms. to the people, and prayed to God alway, v. 2. Whofe prayers and alms were greatly taken notice of, approved and accepted of with God; for the angel faid unto him, thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a me morial before God, v. 4. i, e. they were grate, ful to him, and were remembered by him. But then, it is not fo evident, that he was now in a state of Heathenifm, deftitute of divine revelation, of that particularly which was made to the Jews, or deftitute of faith in the Meffiah, efpecially, as to come, or, in a state of unregeneracy. He was, indeed, of heathen extract; was now a Roman fol-, dier, and his falling down at Peter's feet, and worshipping, of him, v. 25, may look like acting the part of an idolatrous Heathen; when it was no other than an inftance of. civil refpect, which Peter would not receive, left the ftanders-by, or, thofe that

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